A few weeks back, I was having multiple conversations about to-do lists and so I thought it would be great to talk a little bit about it on the blog. In this day and age, all of us are super busy! It’s just one of those things. But being busy doesn’t always mean productive and so I had to learn some hard lessons about what it really takes for me to get everything done that I need to!

Just like many of you, I balance a full-time job, a relationship, household, blog and business and all the other things that go into living life in this century. God bless those of you that also have children. I’ll cross that bridge when I get there. Nonetheless, we have tons of things to do and get done and very little time to do them. Somewhere along the way, I realized my process was really dysfunctional and I had to re-evaluate how I was getting things done.

So I wanted to share a few of the things that I am learning in reference to setting up my days and weeks so that my tasks are actually completed and not just piling up.

1.I bought a planner. I know that we live in a technology age, but I just cannot really juggle my tasks on my phone. I like the process of writing out the list and being able to physically cross things off. So I headed to Paper Source to grab this awesome Kate Spade planner with easy to find tabs and space for weekly lists.

2.Writing out a list for the week. But I don’t stop here. This is just the first step. I used to just write a list for the week and then I learned it was completely overwhelming me. But I like to evaluate what the new week brings and the things that I am looking to accomplish.

3.Breaking out my weekly to-do list. I then take that long list and break it up into days of the week. Essentially, I am really only going to be able to get 3-4 things done in a day with everything else going on in my life. That is unless I have a day off from my job. I love days off from my job! LOL. Breaking out the list allows me to prioritize better. Only worrying about the things that I’m responsible for, for that specific day.

4.Knocking out the tough tasks. I am still working on this one. I love to put off the things that I don’t feel like doing until the end. But it’s no good, because then you will tend keep pushing it back.

5.My Blackboard Wallies. I love them! I picked them up from Paper Source, I know you are probably seeing a theme in some of these posts but I promise I am not addicted. Anyway, I reinforce tasks from my to-do list on my blackboard. I normally break it out by project and then list the tasks that need to be completed for each. Crossing it off as I go.

Hope these few simple tips may be helpful to you! They have really changed my ability to focus and get so much more done in the course of a day. But at the end of the day, no matter the process, you have to do the work! It won’t do itself. I’ve had to learn how to really focus, sacrifice, and work a lot of tireless nights to achieve the things that I want.

If you find the alternative to the hard work, be sure to let me know! What tips do you have on organizing your to-do list for maximum productivity? Share in the comments below!